Voting for Change: Pontefract's Secret Ballot KS3 Workshop

Links to history, politics and citizenship are developed throughout this workshop.

Why was the secret ballot system introduced?
How did the first secret ballot election for an MP in Britain come to be held in Pontefract?
What was the impact and legacy of the secret ballot?

One of the original ballot boxes used in the 1872 election in Pontefract

The first secret ballot vote for an MP in Britain took place in Pontefract in 1872. Before this people had to state in public who they were voting for, meaning that the election system was open to corruption.

In this interactive workshop pupils will use both historic texts and a modern-day comic book account to learn the story of Pontefract’s Secret Ballot. Pupils will explore some of the key people and events involved in the historic election, they will consider why the introduction of the secret ballot was so important and they will discover how the legacy of the 1872 election lives on today.

Original ballot boxes from the 1872 election are on display at Pontefract Museum and Wakefield Museum.

Workshop Includes:

• Learning about a local event of national importance

• Interpreting history using both historic and modern sources

• Considering the impact of history on modern day life

Price: 

£64 for standard workshops delivered on site

£115 for one outreach session delivered in-school

£175 for two sessions delivered in-school in one day

£198 for three sessions delivered in-school in one day

Venue: Pontefract Museum, Wakefield Museum or in school

Duration: 1 hour or 1 hour 30 minutes depending on what best fits your timetabling

To book contact museumslearning@wakefield.gov.uk 

Or call on 01924 302700

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